I can't name a single televangelist I like. Not. A. Single. One. It's not so much the shallowness of their theology as it is their staged and canny performances. There seems to be something fundamentally wrong with turning the divine into a stage show. So, what to make of this CNN report about a popular Muslim televangelist from Egypt?

Notice the subtitle: Popular Egyptian televangelist tries to bridge Islam and West

He must be some kind of moderate, right? Well, yes, in fact, he is. But as we've discussed here dozens of times, being a moderate in the Islamic world is still a far cry from ideal [emphasis mine]:

Islamic televangelist Amr Khaled is young, smiling, teaches love and mercy and is so popular he's credited with inspiring thousands of women -- turned off by dour, traditional clerics -- to take on the veil. ....

He is a very simple, moderate, humble man, easygoing. He makes you feel like you are his sister," said Zeinab el-Sherif, 32, a wealthy, veiled Egyptian businesswoman who has been a fan since hearing Khaled at her club a decade ago.

"He is so tolerant and friendly, he makes you feel good about your religion and yourself," she said.

The entire article paints Amr Khaled as the seminal moderate Imam. Sure, he's moderate by Muslim standards--he doesn't want to kill those who blaspheme Muhammed, he just, you know, wants to pass laws making irreverancy illegal. And, ladies, when you're not busy soiling your panties over his charm and good looks, please remember to put on your veil. We wouldn't want an uncovered head to force an otherwise chaste Muslim brother to rape you. Because, if he did, we'd probably have to kill you.

This much credit I will give to Christian televangelists: at least they give lip service to a God deeply concerned with human freedom, liberty, and dignity. So, maybe all televangelists are snake-oil salesmen--but at least there is some value to what our guys are selling.

Thanks to Fred Fry for sending the link.

Posted by: Rusty at 01:23 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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